This reader is designed not only to improve a child's reading skills and comprehension, but also to increase the youngster's understanding of and delight in God's wonderful creation. The text also seeks to expand the vocabulary skills of the reader by way of special drill in the key terms in dark print found throughout the book. Therefore, it reinforces phonics and introduces basic dictionary skills at the same time. This revised edition retains its gentle, old-fashioned content (similar to the McGuffey readers) but is more comfortable to read than the previous version due to its larger font size and engaging two-color pictures.

Book 4 exposes children to a variety of animals like perching birds, birds of prey, insects, moths, turtles, snakes, toads, bats, and beavers with fun reading sections and illustrations. Each chapter concludes with review questions.

Sample Section:

Chapter One—Perching BirdsThe Quail

Did you ever take a walk in the country and suddenly hear a whirring, or buzzing, sound? Do you remember how you stood still, too frightened to move and then you saw a few brown birds sailing away? The noise you heard was made by some quails as they flew up quickly from the ground. They saw you first and lost no time in taking wing.

The quail is about as big as a bantam chicken. Its color is brownish like that of dried-up grass; its body is short and plump; and its bill is short and stout like that of a chicken. Its short, round wings help it to fly up quickly from the ground and then it sails away, usually in a curved flight. The quail's wings always make a loud, whirring sound when it begins to fly, and this is what usually frightens people when they are walking along. By the time they recover from their fright, the quails are some distance away, for they can fly very fast.

The quail has short, stout legs like the chicken; and, on each foot, it has three toes toward the front and a short one toward the back. This back toe is like a heel and helps the bird to walk. Its claws are short and strong; with them, it can scratch for bugs.